PLASTON TARDIS TIMES TWO...

As a kid, I had what I now realise was an inadvertently destructive habit of removing stickers and labels that weren't positioned properly from newly acquired toys, and then trying to replace them in a neater, more symmetrical way than when they'd left the factory.  Matchbox Flying Bug?  If that 'cross' on the bonnet was in any way squint, off it came and was reapplied.  Same for the Bat emblem on my Marx Poseable Batman and any other plastic or metal toy you care to name, such as Dinky's TB2.  Trouble is, of course, they didn't always come off in one piece, and even if they did, they'd probably be creased and wrinkled and tend to curl when replaced, leading me to dispensing with them entirely.  So why mention this now, you may be wondering.

Simply because I was too young and cack-handed to accomplish my attempted 'repairs' back then, but it's a different box of badgers these days now I'm a grown-up (okay - allegedly).  Around a year or so ago, I obtained a Plaston TARDIS to replace the one I owned in boyhood, but the Police Public Call Box sticker was absent.  If I recall correctly, it went around the front and both sides (the back didn't have one to avoid covering he coin slot), but I was only interested in restoring the front part of the label, so I simply made one, using pics of one on the Internet as a guide.  (I can always add the side parts of the label at a future date if I want to.)

Talking of the coin slot, it would appear that the money bank was manufactured with an indentation of where the slot was meant to be, then cut by hand in the factory in none-too-neat a manner, leaving a lot to be desired in the aesthetic stakes (see seller's photo of my replacement, below).  Not only has it been cut squint, the surrounding area has also suffered some damage in the process (or perhaps by the original owner using a knife to remove coins via the slot) and doesn't look too pretty.  I decided to take a craft knife to it and tidy it up, by removing any excess plastic (which was already damaged, remember), and I think it's far more pleasing-to-the-eye than it was before my handiwork.  

Seller's photo, before.  Click to enlarge for more detail

That's the result of my modification below, which is now neater and allows for easier insertion of coins than it used to.  Did I regret it was no longer as originally manufactured back in the '60s?  Well, yes, to a degree, but I consoled myself with the fact that the previous damage was now absent and it looked more like it should've been done back then.  Guess what, though?  I recently bought another one on eBay (before my decision to try and cut back on my purchases), and though the coin slot was neater than its predecessor, it had no labels adorning it like it was meant to.  (Some other kid maybe removed then because they were roughly misapplied.)

Buyer's (that's me, folks) photo, after

It would've been relatively simple to photograph my first replacement and then produce similar labels, but I decided to make it look more like it should've done by creating more 'authentic' labels reflecting the TARDIS from the TV show.  So that's what I did, as you can see in the first photo at the top of the post.  Incidentally, Plaston later produced a more accurate version of the Time machine (though in a lighter blue), but as I never owned this one, I've decided to forego adding it to my collection.  However, I've included a few pics of it obtained from eBay so you Crivvies can see the difference.  Another company later released a copy of it in yellow - another one I'll be giving a miss.  (The design of the first one's back and sides didn't match the front.)

The coin slot on my 2nd TARDIS - as originally rendered

Anyway, admittedly nothing much to this post (crap, NB?), but I always feel compelled to give you Crivvies something to read, even when I have nothing much worth writing about.  Can't have you dropping in and have nothing to offer you, can I?  That would never do.  Anyway, feel free to comment, should you so desire.

BABE Of The NEW YEAR - JACQUELINE BISSET...

Happy New Year to all Criv-Kids.

See you again (hopefully) in 2026.

THE TIME TO STOP IS GETTING NEARER...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Sadly, I'm compelled to conclude that my buying days, especially of old toys and vintage comics, will soon have to come to an end for one very good reason.  Namely, all of my friends who'd be interested in them are now dead, and there's not as much fun buying stuff when you can't share it with those who were around when you owned the originals as a child or teen.  Besides, I've got replacements for the vast majority of items I recall owning when younger so I'm running out of things to buy anyway.  To say nothing of running out of space to store things.  If only I had a TARDIS - or a much bigger house.

I suppose there'll be a few exceptions I really must have when I see them, but I don't think there are too many - yet, to be honest, I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.  That's because, on consideration, there's another reason that's just occurred to me.  Recently, one of my childhood pals passed away, and as he was a hoarder, emptying out his flat (I only played a small role) continues to be a mammoth undertaking and most of his belongings will simply be binned, which is a great shame.  He wasn't particularly good at keeping anything in good condition, but he wouldn't like to see anything jettisoned.

I'd hate for that to happen to any of my stuff, so it's about time to subdue my collecting instincts and perhaps even thin down my vast accumulation of stuff.  Having said that, I recently purchased the above comic, even though I already have various reprints, but I've always loved the cover since I first saw it adorning Pow! #10, cover-dated 25th March 1967.  Any Crivs out there relate to anything I've said?  Comments welcome.

And now, a word from your host...

 A very MERRY CHRISTMAS to all CRIV-KIDS everywhere.

TOMB RAIDER...?

Copyright DC COMICS

You may remember me mentioning one of my childhood friends dying recently (October 21st), though we weren't exactly on talking terms at the time of his sad expiration from Lupus.  However, the pal of his who's been tasked with clearing out his flat invited me round to help myself to just about anything I might like or want that wasn't already taken, so I found myself in a place I haven't stepped inside in approximately 6 or 7 years, going through the belongings of the departed one.  Joe (for that was his name) was a bit of a hoarder, so it's going to be a huge undertaking for his pal to empty the flat as every room is filled to overflowing with stuff Joe had accumulated from diverse sources over his limited lifetime.

With an occasional exception I mainly restricted myself to things I myself had given Joe over a period of several years, but there was one item I'd recommended to him just before we'd fallen out (again) that caught my eye, which was the stonkingly huge Jack Kirby Fourth World Omnibus published a few years back.  Apparently, the first printing had a howling error, in that a Jimmy Olsen page had been printed twice, resulting in another page being omitted.  DC recalled the book and issued a second printing which was error-free and fired the person responsible for the blunder in the first version.  No, I don't know his name, but I'll bet he's kicking himself for his oversight.  Thankfully, it was the corrected edition Joe had.

I already own all the tales in their original form and also in previous reprints, but the book is an extremely impressive publication which I'm glad to have.  Death tends to wipe the slate clean when it comes to the 'trespasses' of friends, so I'm going to imagine the book is a Christmas gift to me from Joe as, out of all his friends, I'm pretty sure he'd prefer me to have it - and none of them were into comics anyway.  He was only 64, so died far too young as he should've had at least another 20-odd years ahead of him.  It would probably take that long to read the Omnibus - did I mention how stonkingly huge it is?  Anyway, Joe, thanks for the present and a Merry Christmas to you wherever you are.  Sadly, there's no point in wishing you a Happy New Year.

Below, Joe in 1981, sometime around February or March, in the front room of 103 Boulton Road, Southsea, Portsmouth.  This is the way I prefer to remember him, as the kind of life he led in the ensuing years sadly took their toll on him.  However, in memory he'll be forever young.

DOCTOR STRANGE #1...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

When it comes to Doctor Strange, the late Steve Ditko was, in my opinion, the definitive artist on the strip.  Other artists have, of course, worked their own illustrative magic on the Doc's mystical adventures, but if I had to choose between them all, it would be Ditko's iconic issues which would be accompanying me on my journey to that mythical desert island were I ever to become a castaway.

You'll all have your own preferences I'm sure, and here's another one to consider - the 'first' issue of a new series starring the Doc which you Crivvies may be interested in.  I was pleasantly entertained by it, but rather than tell you what it's all about, I thought I'd just hit you with some pages and see if they manage to pique your curiosity.  Now's your chance to get in on the ground floor - don't miss it!

Have you got a favourite Doctor Strange issue from the '60s or '70s?  Tell your fellow readers which one it is - and why.

CHRISTMAS With The SUPER-HEROES...

Copyright DC COMICS

Here's yet another DC Limited Collectors' Edition I didn't have at the time, but I've got it now - or at least a Facsimile Edition of it.  I've previously read two of the stories elsewhere, but the remainder are new to me.  I love such publications because, not only do they take me right back to the '70s when the originals first went on sale, but also because there's usually an interesting mix of reprints in them.  Plus, they also give me material for Crivens so that you lot have something to look at when you're not watching paint dry.  So what else can I say - feast your eyes on the images on display.  And if you had this one when it was first released, feel perfectly free to declare it to the world via our captivating comments section.

No comments yet?  What's the matter with you lot - don't like Christmas?

Sadly, only Gerry Conway of the seven people depicted here is still alive today

WOWZA! THRILLING ADVENTURE STORIES #2...

Copyright relevant owner

I can't help but wonder whether any other b&w magazine ever had such a magnificent line-up of top-notch artists as Thrilling Adventure Stories #2 by Atlas/Seaboard.  Adams (colour cover), Simonson, Starling, Heath, Severin, and Toth!  That was surely worth a dollar of anybody's money.  Anyway, I promised you Crivs I'd show you the mag when it arrived and I always try and keep my promise.  Why?  Because a promise made is a debt unpaid, that's why.

Don't remember having this issue back in 1975, though I definitely had (and now have again) the first ish.  There were only ever the two issues so I can legitimately claim to have a full set - can you?  Regardless, enjoy the dynamic drawings and feel free to comment on them.   

SUPERMAN Vs SPIDER-MAN 'TREASURY EDITION' 50th ANNIVERSARY...

Copyright DC COMICS & MARVEL COMICS

Due out the first week in January, two versions of the 50th Anniversary edition of Superman Vs Spider-Man, one with the original Andru/Adams cover and one painted by Alex Ross.  I've got two originals, but I've just ordered both of the new ones and if you're smart you'll do the same.  Okay then, at least buy one, but get your orders in fast before they sell out!

Come to think of it, I also have the gold-trimmed standard-size reprint, plus a book with the first few DC/Marvel superhero team-ups, including this one.  What can I say?  Well done me!  (Any other Crivvies wish DC would issue this in a hardback edition or am I the only one?)

FANTASTIC FOUR #12 FACSIMILE EDITION...

Copyright MARVEL COMICS

Not long arrived, Fantastic Four #12 Facsimile Edition, bringing to an end the sequential release of the first dozen FF comics, though if they've been selling in droves, who knows - perhaps Marvel will decide to continue with subsequent issues in an unbroken monthly line.  I remember reading this tale, I think for the first time, in The Mighty World Of Marvel #s 24 & 25 (it was spread over two issues) back in 1973, and now, 52 years later, I've just read it again.  (I've read it several times over the years, of course, in different reprints, but there's a special significance to me to read it on a Saturday, just as I did 52 years back, and also 5 years later in The Complete Fantastic Four #s 24 & 25 in 1978.)

Anyway, this has been a great run of mags as, even though I have various reprints of the first 12 tales (and others), it's nice to have them as individual issues, with original ads, letters pages, and pin-ups.  I've bought two of each comic, one set for reading and just looking at, the other to tuck away somewhere as back-up copies.  Actually, that's not quite true, as I purchased several #1s.  Anyway, if you've been dithering about acquiring this (or any previous) issue for yourselves, perhaps the following 'chapter' pages will persuade you to take the plunge.  Thing is, should Marvel ever decide to reprint them yet again, but without the intrusive barcode boxes on the front covers, I know I'll just have to buy them all over again.

So tell me, Crivvies, are there any particular runs of Marvel mags you'd like to see facsimiles of?  Be so good as to say what they are in the comments section.

(Regarding the cover - "The Hulk is nearby!  I can feel it!"  Seems to me this speech balloon is better suited to Susan (female intuition) rather than Johnny, but obviously Stan didn't want the tail crossing over The Torch's body so gave it to him instead.) 

THRILLING ADVENTURE STORIES #1...

Copyright relevant owner

Just taken possession of Thrilling Adventure Stories #1 and am waiting for #2 to arrive, hopefully tomorrow or Monday.  Published by Atlas/Seaboard in 1974/'75, it lasted for only two issues before vanishing off the face of the earth when the publisher 'took down his tent and got off the grass'.  I'll show off number 2 when it gets here, but in the meantime, enjoy some interior images from the first ish.

Did any of you have this mag back in the day, Crivs?  If so, what did you think of it?

THAT'S WHAT I CALL BAD TIMING...

Saw a new post on McS's blog (That Was Then) with a time of 5 hours ago, though it wasn't there when I checked a couple of hours before that.  It now says 13 hours ago, so McS probably thinks I'm havering, but here's a screen-grab I took at around 12:19 pm to prove what I'm saying.  I refresh my browser often to update it, so I don't know why some people's posts don't always appear in my blog-list at the time they're actually published.  Any guesses?

SHORT-LIVED MAGS - MOVIE MONSTERS...

Copyright relevant owner

Remember, when young, you'd think back 3 or 4 years and it seemed like forever?  As you get older, it seems to work in reverse.  Think back 50 years and it seems like only a few years ago, if not months.  Can never get my head around that.

Anyway, today's post is yet another which is sure to bring in a deluge of comments (ever the optimist, despite evidence to the contrary with the last three entries) as we focus on a mag that was published in 1974/'75 and lasted, as far as I know, for only four issues.  Movie Monsters (by Atlas/Seaboard) was devoted to (you mean I actually gotta tell you?) monsters from the movies and it was a mixed bag affair.

Some nice photos, though sometimes wrongly attributed, and loads of typos, spelling mistakes, and words that made me think I had dyslexia.  I can only conclude it was produced in a hurry and the editor and proof-reader were too busy 'goofing off' playing poker to pay proper attention to what they were doing.  However, if you could overlook such irksome obstacles it actually wasn't a bad wee publication.

I've just purchased all four mags, two of which have arrived, the other two I'm still waiting for.  I was reminded, while leafing through #2 & 3, that I still have a couple of articles I clipped from my original issues way back when, so now I have the complete contents again.  I'm not exactly sure I had all four of them at the time - maybe only two, possibly three, but 50 years on I have the full set (unless there was a #5).

Did any of you buy this title back in the day?  What are your memories of it, effendis?  (Like, did the last two covers give you nightmares?)